


Hold On

by waterbird13



Series: Tumblr Fics [433]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Caretaking, Disability, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, PTSD, Permanent Injury, Rhodey allowed to react, pre slash or early slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 01:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11048763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waterbird13/pseuds/waterbird13
Summary: Rhodey's not having the easiest of times.





	Hold On

Tony rushes in. FRIDAY, good girl that she is, already has the lights on and is babbling away, but she lets Tony take over. “I’m here, Sugarplum,” he says, moving towards the bed. “How you doing?”

Rhodey sighs so deeply Tony’s a little concerned. “Fine. It’s all in my head. You don’t have to come running every time I scream a bit.”

“That is the saddest sentence I have ever heard, and I have heard some of the shit that comes out of my own mouth,” Tony says. “Scooch over?”

Rhodey painstakingly and laboriously moves himself so he’s firmly on one side of the bed, and Tony wishes he kept his mouth shut and hadn’t asked. The bed’s big enough, he still could have gotten in even if Rhodey was in the dead center, there’s no need to make the guy move when moving is a momentous act now.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“No.”

“Sugarplum…”

“I said no, Tony,” Rhodey snaps, then takes another deep breath, this one more reasonable. “Shit. Sorry, I…sorry. I know, I’m being an ass, and…”

“And that’s what happens. You see me complaining? You’re okay, Rhodey. Feel free to tell me to piss off. My skin’s thick enough to take this.”

“Is it?” Rhodey asks.

Tony sighs now. “For you. Always.”

“I don’t wanna test that. I don’t want to snap at you. I don’t want to…”

“You should sleep,” Tony says, interrupting, but keeping his voice soft, so Rhodey can talk over him if he wishes. “I’m here now. Try to get some more sleep. And then…maybe we can talk about the shrink thing again?”

“Never thought I’d hear Tony Stark…” Rhodey mutters.

“Yeah, well, have to grow up sometime,” Tony says as lightly as he can. “I hear emotionally healthy coping is a part of that.”

“Bullshit,” Rhodey murmurs. He sounds tired, and not in a good way. In an exhausted, broken-down way, like he’s barely able to play along with Tony’s rambling anymore. “Plenty of adults don’t manage.” He pauses a moment. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Again.”

“Okay, Sugarplum,” Tony says, adding it to his list of things to talk about. “How about sleeping now?”

“Yeah.” Rhodey’s eyes close. “Hey, Tony?”

“Yeah?”

“If you…slept in here…you wouldn’t have to come running in the middle of the night.”

A pause, the room feeling suddenly like the air is made of glass, like one word will shatter it.

“Nevermind. Stupid idea. Forget I said anything.”

Tony shakes his head, even though he knows Rhodey’s eyes are closed. “Not stupid,” he says. “Never stupid. You’re a genius after all, Colonel Rhodes.” He wants to lean down, kisses Rhodey’s head, but restrains himself. Not yet. He adds it to the list of things they should talk about. “I want to stay.”

“Stay.”

“Yeah, Sugarplum,” Tony says, but he knows Rhodey is already mostly gone, wonders how much of the conversation they’ll have to repeat tomorrow.

“FRIDAY?” Tony asks, voice barely a whisper. “Lights.”

They dim, and Tony settles beside Rhodey. he allows himself to touch Rhodey’s arm, one hand gently landing there, keeping contact as his eyes close and he too falls into sleep.


End file.
